An American by birth, James Thompson began his career as published career as an author in Finland with two thrillers, Across the Green Line and The True Name of God.

With his first internationally published novel, Snow Angels, James Thompson proved himself Finland's best and most popular representative in the rise of Nordic noir. It was selected as one of Booklist' s Best Crime Novel Debuts of the Year and nominated for an Edgar Award, an Anthony Award, and a Strand Critics Award. His most recent novel, Lucifer's Tears, has received critical acclaim from all quarters, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus, and seems destined for international success. His next novel, Helsinki White, is scheduled for U.S. release in March, 2012. He is also a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books.

Thompson, an American, age forty-seven, has lived in Finland for over a dozen years. He resides in Helsinki with his Finnish wife. He has a Master's degree in English Philology from The University of Helsinki, where he also studied Finnish, in which he is fluent. Thompson is represented by literary agency Sobel Weber Associates. His U.S. publisher is G.P. Putnam's Sons, and at present his works are distributed by ten publishers worldwide. International film rights for the entire Inspector Vaara series have been optioned.

In the past, Thompson has worked as a bartender, bouncer, construction worker, and soldier.